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Facilitating interdisciplinary design specification of "smart" homes for aging in place
Abstract
"Smart homes" are defined as residences equipped with sensors and other advanced technology applications that enhance residents' independence and can be used for aging in place. The objective of this study is to determine design specifications for smart residences as defined by professional groups involved both in care delivery to senior citizens and development of devices and technologies to support aging. We assessed the importance of specific devices and sensors and their advantages and disadvantages as perceived by the interdisciplinary expert team. This work lays the ground for the implementation of smart home residencies and confirms that only an interdisciplinary design approach can address all the technical, clinical and human factors related challenges associated with home-based technologies that support aging. Our findings indicate that the use of adaptive technology that can be installed in the home environment has the potential to not only support but also empower individual senior users.
... 5. After the system analyses the user's face to identify their mood, it will adjust the lighting in the room accordingly [29]. 6. ...
... Unfortunately, these systems do not provide proactive alerts at the moment. If a door or window is left unlocked or ajar, a contact sensor or smart lock will sound an alert [29]. Smart motion sensors and detection could give parents and carers peace of mind that their children are safe. ...
A new era of architectural ideas is likely to be ushered in by the natural progression of "smart buildings," which necessitates the integration of sensors, rich data, and artificial intelligence (AI) simulation models. Better control, enhanced reliability, and automation are just a few ways in which AI simulation models can make homes more convenient, more comfortable, and more energy efficient. This article discusses the ways in which AI models can be used to enhance the development of smart homes, particularly in the realm of interior design. This case study demonstrates how AI may be integrated into smart homes to enhance the user experience and reduce energy consumption. After that, the essay will delve into the study of current research on the application of AI technology in smart houses, utilizing a wide range of novel concepts such as smart interior design and a Smart Building System Framework based on digital twins (DT). The benefits of employing AI models in smart homes, with an emphasis on living areas, are discussed at length before the paper concludes. The theme's case study is meant to inspire new ways of thinking about how artificial intelligence (AI) might be practically implemented in smart homes to enhance their utility, comfort, and environmental friendliness. The ultimate objective is to maximize the benefits of AI in order to revolutionize domestic life and enhance the quality of human existence. Unanswered questions and promising directions for future AI research in the realm of smart homes are addressed in the article's last section. Smart houses that incorporate AI technology are beneficial to homeowners because they improve security, convenience, and energy economy.
... The term "smart homes" may be used here to refer to any number of different kinds of high-tech household gadgets. The term "smart home" is used to describe a specific kind of home or apartment that makes use of the aforementioned technologies by including sensors and actuators in the home's infrastructure to monitor the well-being of its inhabitants and enhance their living circumstances (Demiris et al., 2006;Frisardi & Imbimbo, 2011). According to Hui (2017), "intelligent" is a "essential component" of smart homes. ...
In order to allow people to age in place and maintain their independence, this study evaluates existing approaches to integrating cutting-edge technology into the home remodelling process. Articles that acted as systematic reviews looked at research from the disciplines of smart technology, ageing studies, and architectural planning. We reviewed databases from similar scientific fields in addition to doing manual searches (e.g., Scopus, Web of Science, Engineer Village, Google Scholar, and Cross Reference). Out of a total of 2594 papers, 33 were analysed to determine what was known about the smart home environment for ageing in place, the process of smart house modification, and the challenges to and solutions for independent living. The findings suggest that older adults might gain from using smart technology and house modifications to increase accessibility and reduce the risk of falls. The notion of the robotic house has emerged as home help technologies for the elderly evolve from manual devices to intelligent ones. When it comes to building and personalising smart homes, universal design is a regular practise. In spite of this, universal design isn't only used for smart homes; it's also a frequent retrofitting requirement for conventional dwellings. Individualization, little disturbance to everyday life, and age-adaptive technology are the major needs for smart home remodelling stages.
... Smart homes can be considered as a more comprehensive concept of smart technologies applied in homes. Including the technologies mentioned above, the definition of the smart home is a special kind of house or apartment equipped with sensors and actuators, integrated into the infrastructure of the residence, intended to monitor the context of the inhabitant to improve their experience at home (Demiris et al., 2006;Frisardi & Imbimbo, 2011). Hui (2017) pointed out that intelligence is an essential ingredient in smart homes. ...
This research explores current strategies and approaches directed to integrate innovative technologies in the home modification process to support independent living and ageing in place. The systematic review considered studies conducted from the perspective of architecture, smart technology, and gerontology. Scientific databases of related disciplines (e.g. Scopus, Web of Science, Engineer village, Google Scholar, Crossref) were searched and supplemented by hand search method. Thirty-three out of 2594 articles were analysed from three perspectives: the framework of the smart home environment for ageing in place, the smart home modification process, and problems and countermeasures of independent living. The result shows that both home modification and smart technologies can support older adults’ independent living, especially with fall prevention and indoor accessibility. Technologies deployed in older adults’ homes are transiting from manual assistive technology to more intelligent devices, and the notion of the robotic home has emerged. According to existing practices, universal design is an extensively adopted strategy for smart home design and modification. However, in most cases, universal design is used as a retrofitting guideline for general home settings rather than specifically for smart homes. The fundamental requirements in smart home modification phases are customisation, minimum life interference, and extensible technologies to cope with the ageing process.
... It is estimated that the amount of smartphone subscriptions in Europe will reach 880 million by 2021 [8], and mobile app markets will expand even more, with currently over 160,000 mobile health apps available for download [9]. The use of ICT in healthcare has shown great potential in improving the quality of life among senior citizens [10], by facilitating support in independent living for persons with conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease [11,12]. Moreover, ICT has demonstrated potential in improving communication between patients and healthcare providers [13]. ...
Background and purpose: The increase in use of everyday information and communication technologies can lead to the need for health professionals to incorporate technology use competencies in practice. Information and communication technologies has the potential to improve participation in daily life among people with disability. The aim was to review and describe evidence of the use of information and communication technology, including mobile technology, for improving participation in everyday life. A secondary aim was to describe how study outcomes were related to participation.
Materials and methods: A scoping review methodology was used to identify studies through databases as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library. Thereafter, the studies were screened and assessed for inclusion.
Results: Eleven studies were included. The most commonly used technology were videoconferencing and the telephone. Ten of the 11 studies reported a change in participation in everyday life. Participation was mainly described as involvement in a life situation or related to activities of daily living.
Conclusion: Delivering an intervention to improve participation through information and communication technology can be a valid option in rehabilitation. There is a need to measure and describe the intervention and its outcomes in relation to a definition of participation in future studies.
• IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION
• The use of an information and communication technology application seems to be as good as the face-to-face intervention.
• There is a need for defining the concept of participation related to outcome measures in future studies.
... Wearable sensor or sensors that require the elder activation are often forgotten to be used or are taken out at important moments like shower or bath time [19], [22], [25], [28]. Passive ambient sensors, like the ones base on passive infrared (PIR) technology, are better accepted by the elderly populations, as they do no record images, are small and unobtrusive [23], [26], [29], [30] and have been investigated by a number of researchers [17], [19], [26], [31], [32], [33], [34]. ...
... The main communication technologies used to capture daily activity data are 'external' and 'wearable' sensors. External sensors are commonly used for Ambient Assisted Living, particularly in Smart Homes [11]. Algorithms are applied to generate information about a persons' daily living by obtaining data from sensors, which can be attached to household furnishings, doors, walls or appliances (e.g. ...
This chapter shows that machine learning is a powerful method for identifying activities of daily living. This has key implications for telehealth and ambient assisted living in that the activities of a person at home can be monitored autonomously in order to provide a safe and secured environment.
This research explores the principle barriers to and facilitators of the use of Smart Home Technology, telemonitoring and telemedicine systems to support healthcare and enable older adults to maintain their independence. The research focuses on organizational rather than technological issues. Semi-structured interviews explored the perspectives of three populations of stakeholders (N = 17): managers of rest homes/retirement villages, technology developers in a university setting and older adults (age 65 years and older). Key barriers to and facilitators of adoption are identified for the stakeholder groups. The results indicate that a lack of information about the capabilities and availability of the technologies is a key barrier to adoption. Other issues identified in previous studies are also found to be relevant, such as costs, platform management and infrastructure, and human issues such as privacy. The research provides practical recommendations for directions to be explored by developers and researchers in New Zealand and elsewhere.
This paper proposes and describes an unsupervised computational model that monitors an elderly person who lives alone and issues alarms when a risk to the elderly person’s well-being is identified. This model is based on data extracted exclusively from passive infrared motion sensors connected to a ZigBee wireless network. The proposed monitoring system and model is non-intrusive, does not capture any images, and does not require any interaction with the monitored person. Thus, it is more likely to be adopted by members of the elderly population who might reject other more intrusive or complex types of technology. The developed computational model for activity discovery employs a kernel estimator and local outlier factor calculation, which are reliable and have a low computational cost. This model was tested with data collected over a period of 25 days from two elderly volunteers who live alone and have fairly different routines. The results demonstrate the model’s ability to learn relevant behaviors, as well as identify and issue alarms for atypical activities that can be suggestive of health problems. This low-cost, minimalistic sensor network approach is especially suited to the reality of underdeveloped (and developing) countries where assisted living communities are not available and low cost and ease of use are paramount.
Australia, along with many parts of the world, has an ageing population. An ageing population puts pressure on existing structures such as hospitals and aged care facilities. Effective management of the demands of this population will present new challenges for policy makers, clinicians and the broader community.
Smart technologies can assist older Australians to live safely and live well at home and in the community. A number of articles have explored the role of smart technologies however; there is a lack of scientific validation in the literature. This literature review systematically examined over 8,000 papers in six key areas:
• Smart homes
• Robotics
• Virtual reality and gaming
• Telemedicine for clincians
• Telemedicine for consumers
• Social connectedness
The review identified many gaps in the scientific literature on smart technologies to assist older Australians to stay living at home. Current gaps include:
• The most beneficial technology systems to optimise health, safety and wellbeing for older Australians
• The health benefits of assistive technology
• The social impact of assistive technologies for older Australians
• The impact of assistive technologies in influencing the quality of life of elderly citizens in rural and regional Australia.
System wide planning is needed to harness the benefits of smart technologies. The systematic review identified the following key areas for future analysis:
• How smart technologies can be used to increase health and wellbeing at home
• How assistive technology can improve quality of life in elderly people, including in rural and regional
Australia
• What policies, procedures and infrastructure are required for large scale installation of smart technologies into homes
• The need for economic evaluations to assess the impact of assistive technologies for elderly Australians
The findings from this review aim to inform future health policies and processes to transform the ways that ageing support services are delivered. A holistic, system wide approach to planning is essential if Australia is to make smart technologies accessible to older Australians, health and social care professionals, policy mak- ers and the general community.
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any references for this publication.